Is it normal you cant not go to college?

Why not go into the military. You can learn a trade and go to school at the same time. When you get out, if you decide to not make it a career, you can continue your education with your military benefits.

Boy am I lucky free education till I'm 18 and if I go to uni I get a bursary don't have to pay it back until I earn over £30.000 a year so if I get a job only paying £28.000 I pay nothing bar

Here's the deal. All that matters is that you are selling something, anything that is in demand in the market place. College is a conventional employment gatekeeper. Unless you're going to school for a very specific vocation purpose that requires a specialized education only attainable in a college, you don't have to go. Granted, having a degree has become necessary only as a weed out tool by corporations which makes life a biatch for smart people like yourself that want to cut to the chase. You just want to learn the tools of the trade to make money, right? Jump into the real game, right? Yeah, makes perfect sense! Well, this must-go-to-college crap is hoop jumping. Its really not necessary unless you're going to be a medical doctor, nurse, or engineer. It is resume filler. Having a degree means you can check that little box on the application. The rest of what's offered in college can very well be learned through personal scholarship. I'm speaking of the humanities (or business). Its all available for free through life experience. The same textbooks are online. If you can read, you can teach yourself. There's the Khan Academy, MIT Open Courseware, and lots of other options for self education.

No you do not have to go to college! But you do have to be able to sell something in this economy, if you want to make money. If that's your purpose? I think the most open industry in the world (besides prostitution), is IT (Information Technology). If you can code, create apps, come up with the next web phenomenon that overtakes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever, then you can enter this domain based entirely on viral success. In the IT world, you don't need any credentials as long as you can net results. In the IT arena, you can just set up shop because you desire to do something. Just check out David Karp, the creator of Tumblr. These are people that aren't really asking for jobs the conventional way.

College itself has become the scam of the century. Don't believe me? Look at the trillion dollar student loan debt trap. Check out how bankruptcy regulations evolved over the last 30 years. Take a look at the staggering price inflation for tuition. Also look at things like wage stagnation, graduate employment statistics, and the nonsense marketing hype encouraging every soul to go to college. If I were you, unless its free of charge, or you have determined that your gamble is a monetarily profitable low-risk investment, beware the ivory tower! Having said that? College does happen to be a superb place for escaping dead end jobs. That is, if you take it seriously, network like a maniac, build a highly attractive resume, and differentiate yourself in college as this God's gift to employers by stacking up an envious experience trail on your way to graduation. So, there are pro's and con's to the college game. No, you don't have to go to college. If anything, college is a wasteful debt trap for most people that go. Many don't graduate, yet walk away with a debilitating debt. At this time, college (higher education industry) has become such an evil entity. I surely do not look at the academic world as an institution promoting progress. Its identical to any other business industry out there (forget that they carry a non-profit label - that's just for tax purposes). Whatever you do, don't fall for any of the generalized marketing hype you have heard since kindergarten. You have to do your own research. College is not required in the 21st C. However, if you can play the game to your advantage? If you can make a hard nosed plan that utilizes college to meet career objectives you have to achieve, by all means don't pass it up. It is always possible that you can find lucrative scholarships. So, it has its pro's and con's.

But, no you don't have to go to college.

There's always financial aid, scholarships, and grants. If you have rich relative, and you don't intend to later drop out wasting their money, they might be willing to pay your way.

You can earn money through stocks, but this can be risky.

There's also the lottery. If you do win, don't go public. This can be dangerous and you'll get people crawling out of the woodwork hounding you for money, and don't choose to go with the lump sum.

After taxes, your winnings won't be worth the amount advertised. Be smart with your winnings. Put the majority of them in the bank and leave some aside for schooling. 

Student loans are tricky. Many students in my country are saddled with debt, which is a terrible thing when you're trying to find work and have other expenses.

Study the job market. There are many college graduates who can't find work in their chosen fields, who often end up opting out for a job in another field, usually of lower pay than what they would've been making in their chosen field. They have to make a living and, usually, are saddled with student loans. 

I'm trying not to be so negative, but you must carefully research and consider your options. Another thing, be sure on what you want to study. Preferably, you should choose something that you like. Good luck!

Sign up for financial aid pell grants scholarships I dont spend a dime on school.